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The original Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee offered us a silly arena fighter, and the Remastered release is a reminder of how endearing and entertaining a more simple game can be. It’s not the most complex brawler out there. Not every kaiju is here. But the power of nostalgia is strong, and this Godzilla remaster holds up pretty well considering this was a licensed game it is.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is an arena brawler, but there’s a bit more to it than a straightforward fighting game. There are 12 characters total, with Godzilla, Gigan, Megalon, and Anguirus immediately available and the others locked away under things like research or other discoveries. You can set up a custom battle or online fight. However, going into Single Player and picking a character lets you go into an Adventure sort of arcade story mode for each kaiju, a Destruction mode that lets you go Rampage style through a city, a Survival mode where you take on enemies one after another, and a Practice option to get used to the character’s moveset. Characters earn things like XP and Research Points in different modes, like Adventure and Destruction, and Adventure even has a Gauntlet mode that’s locked until the monster you’re using hits a certain level.
So a thing to know going in to Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered is that this is a simpler sort of arena brawler. Each kaiju has a moveset based on their established abilities in movies and other media. So Godzilla is typically a brawler who will use his tail to attack, but can also use the atomic heat beam for a ranged attack once you fill up a gauge. Anguirus can’t use any projectiles, but will block with spikes to damage foes that attack. Monsters with wings like King Ghidora and Rodan can fly! There are some combos, and some attacks will change properties by pressing a directional button along with select action buttons. It is possible to grab both your opponent or some buildings and vehicles in maps, allowing you to deal additional damage, knockback, and knockdown. Since the Vortaak aliens are behind the kaiju running rampant in basically all the Adventure modes, we’ll also see them dropping power ups in maps. Those can also be found by destroying buildings and environmental objects sometimes. Also, both humans and aliens might attack both you or the enemy monster during a fight.
The thing about it is that simple isn’t bad. It proved a good thing with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, resulting in a solid licensed game, and Remastered proves it is still a winning feature with the remaster. The inputs are fairly simple. It can feel a bit clunky, but once you find some combos it’s possible to find a good flow with some characters. Also, there are times when just grabbing any boulders and buildings in a map and chucking them at your opponent or any mounted artillery feels like a cheap answer and response to, well, anything!
The diversity in terms of modes is pretty nice as well. The Destruction element is goofy fun, and I imagine it’d be a good option for a younger player or someone less skilled to get accustomed to movesets while still feeling like they’re accomplishing something in a way Practice doesn’t offer. The Gauntlet is good for single-player people who find a standard Adventure a bit easy. I didn’t really get to test out the online multiplayer, but the local option still works well.
I’ll also say the remaster elements in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered are welcome ones. Unlocking felt pretty easy and painless. I even ended up with two characters via some initial testing without a pointed effort to unlock them. The character models also look good and maps are very clear and well-defined. I especially liked how visible things kaiju can grab are. The UI is crisp and clear. It’s very easy to pick up and play.
That said, this is definitely a more simplistic game. There’s a decent variety of modes, but notable omissions in the character roster. Moving characters around to position them properly for some grabs or specific sorts of destruction will feel unwieldy. It’s still a little clunky. Also, once you find certain moves and attacks that are game-breaking (like getting near a cluster of objects you can throw and constantly tossing), it becomes incredibly easy to win a match.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered remains goofy fun, and Atari’s remaster looks and runs well. It’s still a rather simple game and probably not the most comprehensive when it comes to the characters and lore. But it’s a good time and offers quite a few different modes to get acclimated and beat up famous faces.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered comes to the Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on November 3, 2026.
